The Light In Their Eyes
by Raberba girl
Summary: Axel finally realizes that he brought the wrong kid home from school. Platonic Axel/Roxas/Xion/Ven/Aqua/Terra family fluff. (The TerQua's not platonic. XD)
1. The Light In Their Eyes

The Light In Their Eyes

(rough draft)

A Kingdom Hearts fanfic by Raberba girl

_Dedicated to Bon-Bon, because this was originally meant to be a gift for her; and to Infamousplot, for inspiration. ^^_

Summary: Axel finally realizes that he brought the wrong kid home from school.

A/N: Modern AU; Roxas is five years old, Xion is four. **It's the first day of school.** And apparently Xion goes to pre-k in public school, and they have uniforms. IDK.

o.o.o

_"What do you mean, 'Get right on it'?"_ Saïx said over the speakerphone. _"I've _been_ 'on it' for three days now. I am, in fact, ready to submit it as soon as I hear back from Xemnas."_

Axel lifted a hand from the steering wheel and waved it distractedly, as if Saïx could see him. "Right, sorry, I was thinking of something else..._gah_ I hate being disorganized." Then, turning his head a little to bellow towards the backseat, "OI! KEEP IT DOWN BACK THERE!"

"But-!" the kids started to chorus in unison.

"Roxas, _give_ her the pony back, Xion stop whining, and _both_ of you put all that back in your backpacks, I don't need you taking twenty minutes to get out of the car once we get there!"

_"Are you ever _not_ running late?"_ Saïx wondered over the phone.

"Shut up. Anyway, so thanks for taking care of that, I'll let the boss know and get those numbers to you by tomorrow..."

They pulled up three minutes before the tardy bell rang and thirteen minutes before Axel was supposed to be at work, which meant that Axel didn't have time to find a parking spot and walk the kids inside like he'd wanted to. He briefly considered just being late - again, - but no...Eraqus was fed up enough with him already, he couldn't afford to _hand_ the guy reasons to fire him. "Rox? Xi? Can you be a big boy and girl and find your classes all by yourself?"

"I can do it myself," Roxas asserted, as Xion nodded vigorously beside him.

"Good. Ask someone in the front office if you get lost, okay?"

"Okay. Love you, Daddy," Xion said, shoving halfway into the front seat to kiss him.

"Love you, too, princess."

"Bye, Dad," Roxas said, half-falling out of the door when the patrol opened it for him.

"Have a good day, Rox-my-socks."

"Don't _call_ me that!"

Once they were out of the car, Roxas and Xion trotted off toward the cafeteria because the kids in front of them were heading there, then they got kicked out because it was too late and the serving line doors were closed, then they saw a squirrel and went to chase it, then they saw the playground and managed to get the latch of the gate open, and by the time the assistant principal came across them and dragged them out and scolded them and talked into her walkie-talkie and shoved them into their classrooms, announcements were already over.

"Oh my - _goodness_!" the teacher exclaimed, staring back and forth between Roxas and the little boy sitting on the picture of a violin.

"Hey," Roxas said, frowning.

The other kids were whispering with great interest.

"Hey," said the violin boy, looking confused.

"And...what's your name again, honey?" the teacher said, looking at some papers.

"I _told_ you. I'm Roxas. Get it memorized."

At recess, Xion ran out onto the playground with all the other kids in her class, and screamed happily when she saw her brother by the slide. She raced over to glomp him.

"Oof!"

They both crashed into the ground.

"Roxas, I L-O-V-E Y-O-U, _you_," she sang, sitting on him.

He stared up at her, looking scared.

"Roxas? What's wrong?"

Another kid came down the slide. "Xion, don't sit on him."

Xion stared. "There's _two_ Roxases!"

"No!" he yelled. "I'M Roxas, _he's_ Ven. I'm Roxas! Me!" He sounded really mad, but he looked scared. Xion felt bad. She got up and shoved him down next to the boy who wasn't Roxas and hugged them both and sang, "I L-O-V-E Y-O-U, _you_, I love you love you love you, yay!"

"That's a stupid song," Roxas said, but he didn't look scared anymore.

"I'm Ven," said the other Roxas. "You're heavy, please."

"Say the magic word," said Xion.

"Please?"

"Twilight Sparkle," said Roxas, and Xion stopped sitting on them so they could get up.

"...is a poopiehead," Roxas finished with a grin, and ran away before Xion could push him.

"Come _back_ here!" she shrieked, and ran after him. They ran and ran and ran, laughing, then they saw that Ven was just standing there watching them, so they grabbed his arms and twirled until he was laughing, too. Then they all got dizzy and fell down. Xion was on top, and she looked and looked and looked into their faces and their blue eyes. "You look the same," she said. "Roxas looks like Ven, and Ven looks like Roxas. I have two brothers!"

"Which one is me?" Roxas demanded anxiously.

"You're Roxas. You're on fire. And you're Ven, you're nice," she said. "You don't look the same." Their expressions, she meant. The light in their eyes was different. She loved them both, but they were easy to tell apart.

"Don't ever call me Ven, okay?" said Roxas.

"Okay."

"Xion," Ven said, "can you get off, please? You're squashing me. The magic word is Twilight Sparkle."

She smiled and kissed him and got off, and they went to find sticks and pretend they were samurai.

They had to line up and go inside when the teachers blew the whistle. Xion had to leave her brother and her new friend. She hugged them both and cried. Her teacher finally pried her off and dragged her away, and Roxas told her to stop being a baby and Ven told her they could play again next time.

o.o.o.o.o

When Axel came to pick up the kids, the first thing he saw was Xion crying. He immediately got out of the car and hurried over, ignoring all the people yelling at him for leaving the car idling in the pick-up lane. "Princess, what's wrong?" he said, scooping her into his arms.

"She took Roxas away," Xion sobbed. "The blue hair lady came and took Roxas away and she wouldn't listen, and I want my brother baaaack!"

Axel looked around in a panic, and was greatly relieved to see Roxas sitting with a class close by. Unfortunately, he was sitting there with tears dripping silently down his face, but at least he wasn't _gone_. "Xi, look, he's right there."

"No!" she sobbed. "Nooooo!"

"It's okay, princess, it's okay." He went over to his son. "Hey, Rox-my-socks!"

He expected the kid's face to light up as usual, but Roxas simply stared up at him in utter misery.

"Hey...hey, buddy, what's up?"

"I want my mommy," Roxas whispered.

Axel's chest suddenly felt tight. "Rox..." He knelt down, still holding Xion. "Roxas, remember how we talked about this?" he said gently. "We don't know where your mommy is yet. Me and Mr. Saïx have been looking for her, but we need a little more time, okay? And remember how we said that even if we do find her, she might-"

"I'm not Roxas," he burst out.

Axel sighed. He knew he'd probably have to explain things more than once, but...this was not exactly the most convenient time. "You'll always be you, kiddo. Always. Doesn't matter what name is on your birth certificate, I love you just as much whether you're Roxas or Al or Adam or Eric, okay?"

"I'm Ven. I'm _Ven_!"

"Okay," Axel said indulgently. "Ven? We can try that out for now. You wanna go grab some ice cream on our way to Grandma's?"

Roxas just stared at him.

"Sea-salt is really good, you'll see," Xion said, sounding doleful.

"Xi, he's had it a million times," Axel laughed. He held out a hand to Roxas. "Come on, buddy. Let's go get some ice cream, and later when I get home, we can talk about your mom, okay?"

"...Okay," Roxas sniffled, taking his hand. "You're not a stranger, right?"

Before Axel could figure out how to reply to this, Xion said, "He's my daddy!" and Roxas said, "Okay."

"Pffft, I'm _both_ you guys' daddy, geez..."

As he stood up, the teacher came back over and said in a worried tone, "Sir, this _is_ your son, right?"

"What the-? I think I should know who my own kid is!"

"Yes, but-"

"Look, here's my I.D., okay? Okay. I gotta get back to work, so I'll see you at Open House on Friday."

"A-All right, I just-"

Axel swung Xion down and took both the kids' hands, leading them to the car. "Man, you two, lighten up...was the first day at school _that_ bad?"

They were subdued all the way to the shop and then in the car afterwards, licking morosely at their ice cream bars.

"It tastes good," Roxas finally murmured.

"We told you it did," Xion murmured back. "It's our favorite."

Axel shook his head in slightly exasperated amusement, but didn't say anything.

When they got to Axel's grandmother's house, he took one look at her struggling down the hallway and exclaimed, "I _told_ you not to bother getting up! I have a key!"

"I had to come say hello to you," she fussed, dropping one of the crutches and nearly falling against the wall.

Axel caught her, and stooped down to retrieve the crutch. "Go back and sit down," he ordered. "And where's your wheelchair?"

"I told you, I'm not using that thing! It makes me feel old."

"You _are_ old. Way too old to not be taking that fracture seriously, so _sit down_."

"Your daddy's mean," she pouted playfully to the kids. Then she frowned, noticing their faces. "What's wrong, sweetie?" she asked as Xion wrapped her arms around her uninjured leg and buried her face in it.

"Roxas is goooone!"

"But he's right here, love!"

"I'm Ven," the boy said, looking on the verge of tears himself. "Mommy took Roxas home instead of me."

"Oh, poor baby," Grandma exclaimed, opening her arms wide so that Roxas suddenly lunged into her embrace, nearly knocking her over again. Over the kids' heads, she raised a questioning eyebrow at Axel, who shrugged. "They've been upset ever since I picked them up from school. I'll talk to them later, but I really need to get back now."

"It's all right, my loves," she cooed, awkwardly herding her great-grandchildren into the living room as best she could with her leg injured. "You can sit right here and watch TV with me, how does that sound?"

After Axel had left, and Xion and the cat were settled on one side of Grandma and Ven on the other, Ven cautiously raised his head and asked, "May I please use the restroom?"

"Oh my, how polite! Certainly you may, Roxas dear," she said, kissing him.

Ven let himself be kissed, then climbed to the floor and trotted off to find a bathroom. He used the potty so he wouldn't be lying, then found a phone. He pressed the buttons with the numbers Mommy had told him to remember in case he ever got lost.

o.o.o.o.o

"Ventus! What has gotten _into_ you today?!"

"I'M NOT VEN!"

"Speak like that to your mother again and you _will_ regret it, young man," she warned.

"You're not my mom! I don't have a mom! My mom ran away and left me all alone until the police came and Dad said he'd keep me, and I don't _want_ him and Mr. Saïx to find Mom because I _hate_ her and I wanna live with Dad and Xion forever and you can't take me away because you're not my mom and if you are then I hate you and-!"

Then he got in trouble.

o.o.o

Aqua just sat there for a while after she had turned off the car. Then she looked apprehensively at the rearview mirror, and her heart hurt at the sight of her son sitting there with his arms wrapped around himself, face tight and red, looking so cornered and miserable.

She finally sighed and got out and came around so she could open the door and crouch down to Ven's level. "Ventus," she said gently.

He turned his face away.

"Ven, my love, tell me what's wrong. Did something happen at school today?"

"..."

"Ven..." She reached for him, but he seemed to panic and started yanking fruitlessly at the door handle, which was child-locked. When she came around to open it from the outside, he scrambled out the other door and then paused for a moment, not seeing any exits.

"Ven, come here."

"Let me go home!" he screamed. "I want to go home! I want my dad!"

"Ventus, we _are_ home! Daddy is still at work, but he'll be home soon." _'Why don't you want me?'_ she thought.

He threw his head back. "Help me! Help! Help! Help! Help!"

"_Ventus_!" What was _wrong_ with him today?! He was like an entirely different person...

"Help meeeeeeee-!"

The door to the house suddenly opened. "What in the world is going on in here?"

"Terra!" she cried. "What are you doing home so early?"

"This is the first day of the schedule shift, remember?"

"Oh..." Aqua looked at the boy. "Ven, daddy's home."

Ven gave Terra a wary look and didn't move.

"What's going on, big guy?" Terra asked, coming into the garage. To their surprise, Ven ducked away from him and dashed into the house.

"I don't know what's _wrong_ with him!" Aqua cried. "Ever since I picked him up from school, he's been acting like a- like a monster!"

"Maybe he's just hungry," Terra said, taking her into his arms when he saw how upset she was. "You know how kids get when-"

"But he's never like _this_! Calling me names, rejecting me, being so rude and defiant to my face, it's like he's not even Ven anymore."

"I'll talk to him," Terra promised. "Go inside and take it easy, okay? You want me to warm something up for dinner?"

"Please," she said gratefully.

"All right." He kissed her. "It'll be okay, Aqua."

"Yes..."

o.o.o

Roxas decided that the big guy was nice but kind of dumb. "She's not imaginary. She's my sister and she's real," he said as he ate the ants-on-a-log.

"Ven...your mom and I can't have kids, you know that, and we have to wait a while before we adopt someone else..."

Roxas gave up. "Do you have video games?"

"Ven, grounding means that you can't play video games."

"I _know_. But it's Ven who's grounded, not me. I wanna see what games he has."

"Ven, you're kind of creeping me out a little..."

It was when Ven's mom was in her room and Ven's dad was mowing the lawn that the phone rang. Roxas stuck another cookie in his mouth before shoving the package back out of sight and going to answer it. "Hwoh?"

_"Mommy?"_

"Ahoks."

_"What?"_

"Ug." Roxas chomped his teeth and swallowed. "I had to eat my cookie."

_"Where's Mommy?"_

"Is this Ven?"

_"Yeah."_

"This is Roxas."

_"Oh."_

"Mommy's asleep. I mean, YOUR mom's asleep. My mom's somewhere being dumb."

_"Roxas?"_

"Yeah?"

_"Are we gonna be lost forever?"_

"Well, we have to go to school tomorrow." Roxas's face brightened. "We have to go to school."

_"We'll see each other tomorrow!"_

"There's markers at school. I'll write VEN real big on your face and I'll put ROXAS on mine, and Dad will have to take me home instead of you."

_"I can't wait 'til tomorrow."_

"Me too. I miss Xion."

_"She's watching TV with a grandma and a cat."_

"Tell her-" Roxas thought a minute. "Tell her I like her a lot."

_"Okay."_

"I wanna see her."

_"Yeah."_

"I'll see her tomorrow."

_"Yeah."_

"Okay."

_"Okay. Bye, Roxas."_

"Bye, Ven." He hung up, feeling better.

o.o.o.o.o

Axel was relieved to find the kids in a much better mood when he picked them up from his grandmother's house later. "But I see you're still going by 'Ven,' huh."

"I'm Ven."

"Can we have McDonald's for dinner?" Xion asked. "Ven said he's not allowed, and I said the fries were really good."

"Fries _are_ tasty, but we had fast food the last couple of nights and I'm starting to feel like a fail dad..."

"Pleeeeaaaase, Daddy, please?"

"For the love of- _Don't_ look at me like that, Xi!"

"But Ven's never had it..."

"Xion, he just changed his name, not his whole life."

"It's okay, Xion," said Roxas/Ven/Whatever. "Mommy wouldn't want me to eat McDonald's, anyway - if I do, I'll get in trouble when I go home."

"Oh...okay."

Axel frowned. "Rox- Ven, I hope you're not getting any funny ideas about running away or anything."

"It's okay. I can spend the night with Xion, and tomorrow I'll see Roxas at school."

"...Right." He might be in a better mood, but Roxas was still acting strange...

That night, they had fun making a mess in the kitchen while cooking spaghetti together. Then Axel dozed off during a movie and woke up to find Xion showing Roxas the photo album her great-grandmother had helped her put together. "...and this is us at Fall Festival. Daddy tried to make Mr. Saïx wear puppy ears but he wouldn't do it, he just went around all grumpy face and people were scared of him even though he didn't wear a costume. It was funny."

"Your family sounds fun. I wish I had a sister."

"Rox," Axel said firmly.

Both kids looked at him, Roxas with a little apprehension.

Axel got up and went over there and knelt down to his level and held his hands. "Roxas, I dunno why all this started, but whatever happened, no matter what anyone said to you - you're my son, all right? You belong in this family. You used to be part of another family, and that's okay. You can still be part of them, too, if you want. But what's _certain_ is that you're in _this_ family now, and that is never ever going to change. We are never ever going to stop loving you. You don't have to pretend, you don't have to be somebody else, you don't have to leave. You can be yourself, no matter where you are. Do you understand?"

Roxas gazed at him seriously. "I'm me. No one else."

"That's right. You still wanna talk about your mom?"

"It's okay. She's okay." Roxas smiled. "You're a good dad."

"Oh...uh, thanks. You're a good kid, too, Rox."

Ven smiled indulgently and let Xion's dad ruffle his hair.

The next morning, Axel was awakened when Xion came to flop her whole body on top of him. "_Wake_ up, Daddy! We need to go to school!"

"Uggghhh...Xi...?"

"Hurry, Daddy, hurry! Ven wants to go to school!"

Axel groaned and allowed himself to be dragged out of bed, and was surprised to find Roxas out there, dressed and ready to go. "No cartoons this morning, buddy?"

"Huh?"

"Heh, new teacher of yours must be awesome if you're this rarin' to get to class..."

"I wanna go to school and see Roxas and go home with Mommy."

Axel sighed.

It was while he was turning on the TV for the news that he noticed the photo album still out. For a while, he debated whether to put it away or leave it. "No, Axel...you told Sai you'd get more organized...this is totally not a hard job..." He sighed heavily and picked it up. His lazy grasp was not secure enough, and the back cover flopped open, scattering extra photos that had been tucked into a flap rather than placed properly for display. "SIIIIGH." He stooped to pick them up.

...Why was he kneeling here, staring at pictures of Roxas showing off his 'battle scar' rather than cleaning up? "Come on, Axel."

...Something was bothering him about this. These photos, taken the day Roxas had gotten the stitches removed. "Roxas isn't hurt anymore," Axel told himself slowly. "He's fine. Got a scar, but he's fine."

After a while, he finally gave up, stuffed the photos back into the album, and went to go take it to Xion.

"DADDY!" she shrieked, jerking her shirt the rest of the way down.

"Sorry!" he cried hastily, slamming the door shut again. She'd recently gotten modest and now refused to let him or her brother see her get dressed and the like; he still hadn't gotten used to knocking every time. "Xi," he called through the door, "I'm gonna leave your alb-"

Last night. When Roxas had been getting ready for bed. Axel had subconsciously sensed something wrong, hadn't given it any thought because he was tired and busy, but now he suddenly made the connection-

"Roxas!" Axel burst into the front hallway, where the boy was struggling to tie his shoelaces.

"Is something wrong?"

"Roxas! Can I see your battle scar for a minute?"

"Huh?"

Axel went cold. "Your scar. On your back. From when Yuffie dared you to jump off the fence, and you fell into the wood pile."

Roxas simply stared at him like he had no clue what he was talking about.

"_Roxas_!" Axel cried, terrified now. (Since when did Roxas ever tuck his shirt in...?) "Let me see-" He pushed up the kid's sleeve until his shoulder blade was exposed.

"What's wrong?" the boy asked uncomfortably. "Are you mad?"

"Mad... No, I-" Maybe it was on the other side? Axel could have _sworn_ it was on the right, but he desperately pushed up the left sleeve, anyway, and stared.

Nothing. Clear, smooth flesh on both sides; no scar, it had completely vanished. "I..." Axel was at a loss for a minute. Then he suddenly seized the boy's shoulders and pulled him back around to face him. "Who are you?" he demanded.

"I'm Ven. I told you." He looked frightened, and Axel loosened his grip.

He felt like he was choking, but managed to ask, "Where's Roxas? Where's my son?"

"I told you...I have to go to school so I can see Roxas, and Mommy can take me home and you can take him home."

"You're not Ro-?! _Why do you look like him_?!"

"I don't know...we look the same. Only Xion can tell us apart."

But Axel could see it, too, now that he knew to look. The tiny indications that this boy he held was not his son. "Xion!" Axel barged into her room, forgetting to knock again. "Xion, who is this kid?!"

She stared at him in surprise. "He's Ven. He's our friend now. We have to go to school so we can get Roxas back."

"Holy-! Let's go. Let's _go_, we're leaving; get in the car _now_!"

o.o.o

As soon as Axel had the car parked, he jumped out and rushed the kids to follow suit. "C'mon c'mon c'mon c'mon c'mon...!"

"_Okay_, we're _going_," Xion said in exasperation.

When he flung open the classroom door, the first thing he saw was a (gorgeous) dark-haired woman arguing with a little boy. "I don't know _what's_ gotten into you lately, but if you don't _stop this_ and start behaving-"

"Mommy!" Ven screamed, running to fling his arms around her.

Aqua looked down at him, and her jaw dropped.

"Roxas!" "Roxas!" "Dad! Xion!" the other three were all yelling at the same time.

It was chaotic for a few minutes.

"I don't understand," Aqua said in bewilderment, pulling her son over to stand next to Roxas. "There are two of them?!"

"Like _peas in a pod_," Axel said in awe.

The boys giggled a little as they stood next to each other, the center of attention.

"Hey," Axel suddenly said. "Your kid doesn't look anything like you. Roxas was adopted."

"Ven was, too," Aqua gasped. "We couldn't have- So-"

They both stared some more.

"You can switch places like in _The Parent Trap_," Xion suggested.

Roxas frowned. "We're not girls."

"We already switched places," Ven said in puzzlement.

Axel grinned. "Roxas, guess what. Ven is your long-lost brother."

"Well, _duh_." Roxas patted his twin's back. "We're not the same. We're brothers."

"I'm glad I found you," said Ven, hugging him, and Xion hugged them both in delight.

Axel laughed and looked at Aqua. "Let's ditch school and go somewhere to celebrate."

"We can't take them out of school!"

"What, you're gonna just _leave_?"

Aqua looked uncertainly back at the children. It was true that she was very unwilling to just walk away and leave her son here all day after she had apparently lost him. "I have work..."

"_I'm_ calling in sick."

Roxas and Xion were now teaching Ven the We Pwn dance, and Aqua smiled as she watched them. "They're finally reunited." She looked back at Axel. "Very well. I suppose it _is_ a special occasion. We ought to get to know each other."

"Awesome. Rox, Xi, Ven! Let's go out and be a big family together!"

"Okay!"

o.o.o

Author's Notes: I know that Bon-Bon likes Axel/Aqua and I hadn't tried that pairing before, so I wanted to write her a drabble with that couple as a Christmas present. But it was difficult to come up with a plot bunny, and thanks to Infamousplot's cute musings, this was the story I eventually settled on. But it got way too long, and Axel & Aqua were only actually onscreen together for, like, two seconds. *sweatdrop* So I decided to make this a separate one-shot and write an Axel/Aqua drabble for Bon-Bon set in this universe, but it wouldn't _cooperate_, and it ended up as _Christmas Shopping in Neverland_ instead. ^^;;;; Apparently I just can't write this pairing, even platonically; I find their kids way more interesting... It's not so much that my Axel doesn't _want_ to be shipped, as that he's way too attached to Sai and his beloved kiddos. He can't settle on a Significant Other, because then that would steal his time and attention away from the people he _actually cares about_. XD

Ftr, this story was written before _Because It Tastes Like Friendship_.

I actually do prefer the "Ven & Roxas are the same person" concept, but emphasizing their individuality worked better in this fic (which is an _AU_, you know? :p). And I think canon's working against me now, too. *sweatdrop* But I just wanted to clarify that even though this fic was all "VEN & ROXAS ARE DIFFERENT PEOPLE! D8", that's not actually my view outside the story. XD


	2. Valentine's Day

**The Light In Their Eyes: Valentine's Day**

**(rough draft)**

**A Kingdom Hearts fanfic by Raberba girl**

Summary: Roxas and his siblings celebrate Valentine's Day with their families. Roxas/Xion/Ven/Axel/Saïx/Aqua/Terra family fluff, all platonic except for TerQua.

**A/N: There's one scene that is so **_**very**_** freaking stupid, I nearly censored it out, but, just...urgh. X( This fic is not one of my best.**

o.o.o

"Happy Valentine's Day, Sai-Sai!"

Saïx whirled and leveled his fiercest glare. "I get tired enough telling your daughter not to call me that, I will not tolerate hearing it from you, too."

Axel dumped a _very_ pink and red, balloon-adorned basket full of flowers, candy, and a few small teddy bears on his partner's desk.

"What on God's green earth is this?"

"I just told you! Happy Valentine's Day~!"

"You can_not_ be serious."

"Hmph, it's not like I have anyone else to give stuff to."

"I can immediately think of two people who would, unlike me, appreciate this revolting waste of space." Saïx edged the basket away with a pen, as if he was loath to even touch it.

"I already gave the kids stuff. Besides, _you_ don't have anyone to celebrate Singles Awareness Day with, either, so why not with me?"

"Because I have no interest in either interpretation of February 14th, and would much prefer to get this project finished up rather than waste time with...pink...frivolities."

"You won't mind if I snag one of your Kisses then, hm?" Axel said, scooping a chocolate out of the basket.

"'Snag' the whole thing, please; I don't want it on my desk a second longer. Then go fetch the reports you were supposed to have finished two days ago."

"Ugh, slave driver."

o.o.o.o.o

VALENTINE'S DAAAAAAAAYYYYYYY, she had Valentines for EVERYONE IN HER CLASS, and special special special ones for Roxas and Ven and Daddy and Mom and Mr. Saïx and Mr. Terra, and she was GONNA GET SO MUCH CHOCOLATE AND VALENTINES TO PUT IN HER VALENTINE BOX AND IT WAS AWESOME, it was finally finally finally Valentine's Daaaaaayyyyyyyy!

"Roxas!" she screamed when she saw him on the playground, "I got so many I _stuffed my whole box full_ and they all wouldn't _fit_! I had to give some to Adam because he didn't have as many!"

"Yeah, well, me and Ven got so much our box exploded," Roxas said loftily.

"Ours wouldn't fit either," Ven said. "I think because we put them all in the same box."

"That's cheating!" Xion shrieked.

"It is?!"

"No it's not," Roxas reasoned, "because we're twins so everything Ven gets, I get too."

"No fair!" so Xion tackled him. They wrestled, and then Ven started piling white pebbles on them, and Xion giggled and got up to help him until they had made a big pebble mountain on top of Roxas.

They played together until it was time to go inside, and then Xion remembered.

"I forgot! I have to give you your Valentines!" The ordinary ones, she meant; not the special special special ones. She dug them out of her pocket and uncrumpled them and gave the Mulan one to Roxas and the Snow White one to Ven.

"Ew!" Roxas shrieked, dropping his.

"What does it say?" Ven asked.

"Daddy says it says _Happy Valentine's Day to the fairest princess of them all_, but I made him cross out the 'cess' part because you're a boy," Xion said.

"Oh. Thank you, Xion," Ven said, and kissed her cheek, because he knew she would like it.

"See, I _told_ you Ven's nicer than you," Xion said to Roxas.

"He is not!" Roxas stormed.

"She wants you to say you like the Valentine," Ven explained.

"No! It's _princesses_!"

"Mulan isn't a princess!" Xion yelled. "She's strong and she beat the bad guys!"

"Oh yeah." Roxas thought a minute. Then he picked up his Valentine, stuck it in his pocket, and said, "I'm nice."

"XION!" Xion's teacher yelled again.

"SO SAD!" the twins' teacher yelled, too.

Ven gulped. "She's gonna move our clips."

"Race you there!" Roxas yelled, and the three of them ran to line up.

o.o.o.o.o

Try as she might, Aqua could not stop feeling guilty for dumping Ven on Axel tonight, so she was in a slightly contrite mood as she came to pick up the children from school. She had promised to watch them until Axel got off work.

"MOMMMMYYYYY!"

She laughed as she was glomped by all three children. "Hello, loves."

They all clamored for her attention at once.

"Mommy! Mommy! Look how many Valentines we got!"

"Mom, they cheated, they're counting both of theirs and I only have one!"

"Mommy I AM nicer than Ven, right? _Right_?"

"I have a flower for you." Ven pushed the paper rose in her face, anxious to be smothered with affection in exchange. "We made it in class."

She laughed again and tried to hug and kiss them all. "You all look like you had a _wonderful_ Valentine's Day at school." _'And I'm sure you'll run poor Axel ragged tonight, with all that sugar you've surely got running through your blood...'_ "Come on, let's go see what I have for you at home." Which was making her feel triply guilty now.

"Oooh, a surprise?!"

"What is it, what is it?!"

"She's not gonna tell us because it's a surprise, noooo!"

It was an ice cream cake. Which they fell upon like starved wolves. Though only _after_ the nutritious snack she forced them to eat first, which was quite an accomplishment in Roxas's case.

"So yummy!" Xion told her.

"Come here, little girl, your face is a mess," Aqua said, dragging her over to the sink and beginning to wipe Xion's face clean as the girl made exaggerated winces. "A lady should have tidier eating habits."

"You really are a lady, aren't you, just like in stories."

"Well, I try to keep a certain level of dignity."

"Did Mr. Terra give you those flowers?"

Aqua glanced over at the roses in the vase on the counter, smiling. "Yes, he did."

"They're soooo pretty."

"Would you like one, my love?"

"Oooh, yes!"

Aqua took one and trimmed the stem. "Where would you like it? Here in your hair, or the front of your uniform, or...?"

"In my hair, like Belle in the pictures."

"Mommy," Roxas said, "me and Ven are gonna go play video games now."

"You most certainly are not, you are going to help me finish cooking for tonight."

"Cooking?!" The boys eagerly ran to wash their hands, knowing from experience that cooking with Aqua was _fun_.

o.o.o.o.o

They could have simply met everyone at Grandma's that evening, but Axel's children insisted on 'picking him up from work.'

"He and Mr. Saïx both have their own cars, it won't do any good if we meet them at work."

"But we get to surprise theeeeem!"

"I wanna see Dad."

Aqua sighed. "Very well..."

It was so fun, sneaking down the hall and bursting into his office and yelling, "Haaaahhhh!"

"FOUND you!"

"You're under arrest, Mister!"

Axel gasped hugely and dropped the phone. "Oh noooo! What'd I do?!"

"You've been a bad man and you're going to jail!" Xion yelled as they dragged him out of his chair.

"No, puh-_leeaaase_, if you send me to jail, who's gonna take care of my kiddos!"

"_We're_ your kiddos, silly!" and then they were hugging and kissing him as he laughed and hugged him back.

"Heeey, best dismissal ever," he said warmly. "Did Aqua drive you?"

"Yup! She's out there, Daddy!"

Then they all trooped across the hall to Saïx's office, where he sat waiting for them with his chin propped on his hand and his eyebrow raised.

"Sorry, Sai," Axel said merrily. "I got arrested, so looks like we can't stay late to finish up after all."

"Remarkable inconvenience, children," Saïx said flatly. "Though I suspect you see it as the exact opposite."

"Mr. Saïx, Mr. Saïx!" Xion clamored, climbing into his lap as he leaned away in distaste, "Didja get me a Valentine?"

"Certainly not."

"Whaaaat?" the twins chorused in dismay.

"It's _Valentine's Day_, Mr. Saïx! You're supposed to give us Valentines!"

"I truly wonder where you got such an idea."

"Valentine's Day is when you give things to people you love!"

"It is an excuse for gluttony and rampant commercialism, not to mention the cause of untold emotional-"

"You don't love us?" Ven said forlornly.

Well, he certainly could not say 'Of course not' in front of their parents, could he. "I'm sure you've received plenty of gifts already."

"But not from _you_," Roxas pointed out, restlessly hoisting himself up on the arm of Saïx's chair.

"Leave that alone, you'll damage it."

"Mr. Saiiiix," Xion pleaded, "I did a really really good job on your Valentine, you have to love me back."

"Don't _cry_," he said warily.

"I'm not crying!" she cried, obviously upset.

"Hm." This was a problem.

Then Roxas pointed triumphantly. "You _did_ get us Valentines."

"What?"

"I see them!" Ven said in excitement.

Saïx looked around, and his eyes widened upon seeing the holiday-themed basket Axel had forced at him that morning. "Ah..."

Xion gasped in delight. "Yay, you love us!"

"I do n-"

"Maybe it's for his giiiiirlfriend," Axel suggested in sing-song.

Xion gasped. "Oooooh! Are you gonna get married, Mr. Saïx?"

Saïx reached back, dragged the Valentine basket forward, and said, "The three of you, please consume this entirely."

"Yaaaaay! Daddy, what's kazoo this enterty?"

As the children were eagerly digging through the goodies, Saïx gave Axel a long, expressive look, and received a wink in return.

Aqua frowned and leaned to whisper in Axel's ear, "Did you give him that just so he'd have something to offer the children when they asked?"

"Maaaaybe..."

She shook her head, now smiling a little. "You know him so well..."

Axel's cell phone rang, and he sighed with great exaggeration as he pulled it out. "Now, who could be calling at this-?" He saw the number and abruptly went silent.

"Daddy?"

He stared at his phone a few seconds longer. Then, without a word, he marched back to his office and shut the door.

There was a pause. "I take it that's probably bad news?" Aqua finally ventured.

"...Children, let me show you this game on my computer," Saïx said.

"Oooh, a game!"

Despite watching the screen and talking to the kids, Saïx still seemed to be 'listening' elsewhere. Then, as soon as Roxas, Xion, and Ven were absorbed in flipping the virtual pinball away from the drain, Saïx got up and went out into the hall, watching Axel's office door intently. Aqua followed him, trying to keep one eye on the children and one on whatever Saïx was paying so much attention to.

At first, there was nothing. Then a sudden shout from behind the door, Axel's voice raised angrily. Saïx gave a short sigh and strode over there, though he did not move to enter the office yet.

"What's going on?" Aqua hissed, coming after him.

"I don't know for sure," he said in a monotone.

"But you have a good guess."

"Make sure the children don't notice."

She glared at him, but he had a point, so she reluctantly went back to shut his own office door and make sure the kids were wholly occupied.

Saïx listened, trying to make out the words, but they were muffled. Then he was startled to see a certain woman coming slowly down the hall toward him. She was dressed like she belonged in a nightclub rather than an office building, and was arguing with someone over the phone.

"You need to leave," he ordered.

She flipped him off without pausing her heated conversation. "I'm right outside the door!" she yelled.

There was a pause. Then Axel's door suddenly flew open again. He stood there, staring, his phone poised near his ear.

She gave him a helpless, bitter little smile. "Hi."

"What are you..._doing_ here?"

Another pause. _"I will escort her out,"_ Saïx meant to say, but then she was dropping her phone and practically falling into a passionate kiss with Axel, as if it was a movie.

On her end. After a startled moment, his eyes narrowed and he shoved her away. "What do you think you're _doing_?!"

Her face flushed. "You should be happier to see me, Axel-"

"_You_?"

Her voice and expression had both turned ugly again. "Unless you're _not_ still single anymore?"

"If you were the last woman on the _planet_, I wouldn't want anything to do with you!"

"Dad, can I hit her if I run away really fast after?"

They all looked down to find a small boy glaring at her.

"Who's that, your ex-boyfriend's kid?" she said snidely.

Axel started to surge forward, but Saïx shoved him back before he could touch her. She backed away a couple of steps, her eyes wide.

"Xion's more my daughter than she _ever_ was yours!" Axel shouted. "After what you did to her, I-!"

"Axel Hayes," Saïx repeated, this time in a thundering whisper that finally got through to him, "you do _not_ need violence of any sort on your record, _do you understand me_?"

Axel, though still tense, went quiet.

"You need to leave," a second woman's voice said briskly. "_I'll_ escort you out if I have to."

Aqua stood behind her, as Ven hovered with his fists clenched, and Xion hid behind Saïx's office door.

She surveyed Aqua up and down. "I bet you have to pay her before she'll let you touch her," she finally grumbled at Axel.

He suddenly lifted his chin. "She's worth ten of you." He marched over to Aqua and tried to slip an arm around her waist. "Yeah, my girl here-"

"Axel," Aqua said in a low voice as she removed his arm, "I sympathize, but I will _not_ do this."

"Get out," Saïx said, stepping in front of his friends as if to shield them.

The woman eyed him with great distaste. Then her gaze moved past his shoulder. Her mouth softened, though her eyes remained hard. "Hello, sweetie."

"Hi, Mommy," Xion said in a small voice. It suddenly occurred to Aqua why, unlike the boys, Xion always called her 'Mom.'

Xion's mother smiled and crouched down. "Come on over here."

"She doesn't want you," Roxas snapped, but Xion shuffled obediently over and let herself be hugged.

"Xion," Ven said in distress.

"Axel," Saïx murmured, "you don't have to allow this-"

"I trust my daughter," Axel said shortly.

"Oooh, what an ugly dress you're wearing on such a special day," she cooed. "Doesn't your _daddy_ know how to dress you for Valentine's Day?"

Xion didn't say anything.

"If we push her over," Ven suggested to his brother, "then we can jump on her." Aqua was rather shocked to hear her sweet-natured son make such a suggestion in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Xion'll cry," Roxas grumbled.

"I'm glad to see you, Mommy," Xion said dolefully.

"Ohhh, my sweet baby," her mother said, kissing and cuddling her. Aqua looked questioningly at the others - Saïx was looking to Axel, who watched with his hands clenched into fists. "Mommy's so lonely, and I know you're _so_ lonely too, with all these icky boys - you wanna come stay with me for Valentine's Day, hm?"

"I'm...not supposed to go with you," Xion whispered.

"Aw, just for _one day_, and I'll pretty you up like a model and-"

"Xion, she smells like a dinosaur farted on her," Roxas said loudly.

Her mother whirled, eyes flashing. "You keep your mouth _shut_ you little brat-"

Without a word, Xion pulled away and walked over to her father, who scooped her up and held her tightly. Saïx and Aqua wasted no time in seizing the woman's arms and hauling her to her feet to drag her off.

"Let _go_ of me! Let go! I'll sue you, I'll...!"

"Aqua," Saïx said conversationally, "did you happen to pick up her cell phone?"

"Of course. We wouldn't want to give her an excuse to come back, now, would we."

When they finally returned, Axel and Saïx's co-workers had apparently settled down and resumed work. Axel was sitting in Saïx's office, listlessly playing pinball on the right side of the keyboard, as Ven manned the left flipper and Roxas tried to shove chocolate in his mouth and Xion huddled in his lap looking like a disgraced puppy.

"We had better leave," Aqua said, not sure how to discuss it when they weren't in private. "You and the children are coming in my car, Axel."

"I'll pick you up tomorrow morning for work," Saïx said, "and you can drive your own car home afterwards. Do _not_ make me late."

"Whatever," Axel muttered.

"That was Xion's first mom," Roxas told Aqua solemnly. "She's horrible just like mine. You're the only good mom."

Ven took his mother's hand, proud and anxious and not sure how to say it nicely.

"Children," Saïx said, "come help me clock out. Apparently I require your assistance today."

"Ooh! I get to punch the buttons!" Roxas crowed.

"Buttons?"

"Come on, Ven, I'll show you how to do it."

Xion hesitated. Then, seeing her father's expression, her brother's impatient beckoning, and the looks Aqua and Saïx were giving her, she reluctantly slid out of Axel's lap and went to take Saïx's hand instead.

"I can give you no more than ten minutes," Saïx told his friend grimly, then marched off with the three little ones.

Aqua looked at Axel, who laid his head down on his crossed arms. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"No." Then he sighed. "She's my ex-girlfriend. Xion's mom."

"So I assumed."

"..." He winced. "My kids..._both_ of them are adopted, you know." Then, as Aqua was wondering if this meant what she thought it did, he expelled an even longer sigh, turned his face away, and mumbled in as close to a monotone as she'd ever heard from him, "By the time I found out she was lying to me, it was too late...I already thought of Xion as mine, and...I couldn't _change_ that, you know?"

"I know," Aqua said softly.

"I tried to, but I couldn't..."

She laid a hand on his head.

"Then I found out how they were treating that baby who was really mine..." A long pause. "It was enough for them to lose custody." Then a dry chuckle. "Sai helped a lot with that."

"...He's a good friend," Aqua finally murmured, still thinking about Xion. It was an effort to remain calm. _'She's fine now, she's perfectly all right now, there is no chance that any of us would let her come to harm...'_

"You're...a good mom," Axel murmured back, hesitantly.

Her fingers tightened in his hair a moment, then she relaxed her hand and smoothed his hair a little apologetically. "Well, in comparison, almost _anyone_ would be."

"Aqua." He raised his head again so that he could meet her eyes. "I've never really thanked you, but...thanks. It, um...it means a lot to them. The kids. I can't give them _everything_, and you...you just...it's like you really are their mom."

"Well, of course," she said awkwardly. Roxas was her son's brother, Xion was Roxas's sister, it was difficult to _not_ think of them as family. "Ahem. I believe that Saïx is waiting for us, we should rescue him soon..."

Axel laughed. "Yeah." Then, a little admiringly, "Ten whole minutes alone with the kids, he's the best friend ever..."

At Grandma's house, Xion ran to get her special special special Valentines, the ones she'd made with lots of pink and red and white paper layered over each other, and sparkles and stickers and poems she'd made up herself and made Grandma write for her with glitter pens, because Grandma could write small and make the whole poem fit on one heart.

_"I love you, Daddy,"_ Axel read out loud, _"your hair is red. I love you more than a dog named Ted._ Awww, thank you, sweetie."

"You're welcome, Daddy!"

_"Mr. Saïx isn't mean,"_ Terra started to read over Saïx's shoulder, but wasn't able to finish before Saïx swiftly whipped his Valentine over and smacked it facedown on the table. "Aw, come on, Saïx."

"Do you like my Valentine, Mr. Saïx?" Xion asked eagerly.

"...I can see that you worked quite hard on it."

"Yup! I put lots and lots of glitter."

"Yes. You did," Saïx agreed, grimacing.

"I did good Valentines, too," Roxas asserted.

"Thank you very much, my dear," Aqua said warmly, and Grandma hugged him.

He thought guiltily that maybe they were just being nice, because he'd only put stuff like _To Dad From Roxas Happy Valentine's Day_ with crayon, and Xion's Valentines were bigger and more sparkly than his. "Xion, yours are better," he finally admitted.

"Yup! Here's yours, Roxas."

Roxas studied the big heart with his name on it for a while, then smiled. "What does the poem say?"

"Uh...I forgot. Grandma, what does the poem say?"

"Well, let's see: it says, _Roxas, my brother, I wish I could brush your hair. But you won't let me unless it's a dare."_

"You can brush Ven's hair," Roxas said generously. Ven put his arms over his own head in dismay.

"No! _Yours_! I want yours."

He thought about this. "Give me your chocolate first."

"Okay!"

"I don't think we're supposed to do that," Ven said dolefully.

Everyone ate and talked and laughed until Terra and Aqua finally said it was time for them to go away for their special Valentine's date. They hugged and kissed everyone and then left, looking as if the best part of the evening was yet to come, and Saïx departed at the same time, leaving Axel and his grandmother with the three children for the night.

"Okay, then! I'm thinking it's about time to start brushing teeth and getting ready for bed-"

"Noooo!"

"Axel, dear, those children still have a ways to go before they crash, and they're going to be jumping around the place like kangaroos until then."

"*sigh*"

o.o.o.o.o

On February 15th, Saïx had a client in his office who took a moment to admire a certain aspect of his workspace. "Ohhh, you have such a beautiful family, Mr. Tsukino!"

"Yes," Saïx said shortly, not bothering to clarify that not a single member of his 'family' was related to him by either blood or marriage.

"I bet it was that sweet little girl who made that lovely Valentine for you."

Saïx glanced back at the space he had allotted for photographs, and where he had pinned Xion's Valentine so that she wouldn't pester him about what he'd done with it. "That is correct. Now, back to the matter at hand, we'll just need your signature here, here, and here, and then we can move on to the next step..."

o.o.o

Author's Notes: **...I really need to stop writing about stuff I know nothing about. -.- I was **_**so close**_** to censoring out that scene with Xion's mom, because too many people read my fics now and I'm more self-conscious than ever, but... *siiiiigh* SOMETIMES I FAIL AT WRITING GOOD STORIES, OKAY.**

Lol, I didn't plan this at all, it's one of the stories that started writing itself in my head. XD (The Scene of Stupid was, like, playing through my head like a movie, but in a disjointed way, just a bunch of loosely-connected bits of dialogue and images...I somehow managed to string nearly _all_ of them together, but...like, I probably would have been better off to cut most of it out, but I can't bear to 'lose' things, so...urgh, failfic. *headdesk* Sometimes I can use the OCD to my advantage, but most of the time, it is not my friend.) The original _The Light In Their Eyes_ was meant to be a standalone; I...kind of hope it doesn't end up like _Stepsiblings_... *sweatdrop*

*siiiigh* I had to take out some AkuSai dialogue...I really do only like them platonic, it makes me sick seeing yaoi for them even though they're my OTP. But there are some things about which I get misunderstood too easily. *sadly adds excised dialogue to the file where I collect stuff like that*


	3. Back in the Country

_**The Light In Their Eyes**_**, a Kingdom Hearts fanfic series by Raberba girl**

**Back in the Country (rough draft)**

Summary: Xion has a new cousin, which means that Roxas & Ven do, too.

A/N: Sorry, Mirae...Ienzo decided he had better things to do than actually put in any screen time for what was supposed to be his debut into the series. -.- But he'll show up for real eventually! I promise!

**Roxas & Ven are eight, Xion is seven, Naminé is four.**

o.o.o

_'Who in the _world_ is ringing the doorbell at 7:20 a.m.?'_ Axel thought incredulously as he brushed his teeth. _'I didn't ask Sai or the Artures to come, did I?'_

"I'll get it!" he could faintly hear Xion yelling.

"No strangers!" he yelled back through a mouthful of toothpaste. He thought he heard one or both of the kids shouting something as he was rinsing, but figured he'd find out about whatever it was soon.

Sure enough... "Flaming- What the heck are _you_ doing here?!"

Kairi, looking far, far too much like her sister, frowned in disapproval, and Axel reached up self-consciously to cross his arms over his bare chest.

"Do you always walk around half-naked where my niece can see you?"

"I'm not half- geez. I _would've_ had a shirt on in a minute, if you hadn't come barging in with no warning. Why are you invading my house?"

"I came to check on my girl, of course." Kairi knelt and opened her arms, and Xion bounced into them willingly enough. "Good morning, sweetie! What did you have for breakfast?" Kairi asked, her tone all bright and airy as if she _wasn't_ looking for evidence to incriminate her sister's ex-boyfriend.

"Pop-Tarts," Xion answered cheerfully.

"What the-?!" He'd _told_ her to wait until he was dressed so he could find her something to eat...

"Oooh, _Pop-Tarts_, really?" Kairi said, all exaggerated interest, even though she was glaring at Axel over Xion's head with a mixture of accusation and triumph. "Sounds yummy, with all that sugar!"

"Hey, they get a school breakfast when we're running late," Axel said defensively.

"And how often are you running late?" Kairi inquired, her eyes like laser beams.

"You know, it'd be a lot easier to get the kids out the door on time if I didn't have nosy, bossy women interrupting us when we're trying to get ready for school."

Kairi wasn't listening - she'd picked up a fold of Xion's skirt and was sliding it gently between her fingers. "Ohhh, sweetie, when did this happen?"

"I dunno," Xion said nonchalantly, looking at the torn seam.

"I was gonna make Saïx fix it tonight," Axel mumbled.

"Oh, so your male, single, childless friend can sew, and _you_ can't, when you're the one whose got a family to take care of?"

"I _can_ sew! I just suck at it!"

"Please don't use that kind of language around my daughter, _or_ my niece."

Axel felt like he was about to explode from the effort of not strangling this woman.

"Come on, sweetie, let's go find you a skirt you can wear."

"But all my other school clothes are dirty!"

Kairi gave Axel a Look.

_'Shut up! It's not always like this! I may not be the best dad, but I'm _not_ a bad one!'_ "...You think Naminé likes that?"

Kairi frowned in confusion, then suddenly whirled to find her daughter standing in the front hall, shrinking miserably against the door as Roxas rearranged her hair clips. "Now you have a Mohawk," the boy said in satisfaction.

"Naminé!" Kairi shrieked. The girl instantly ran to cling to her and hide her face. "You keep your son away from my daughter, you hear me?!"

"Hey, _I'm_ not the one who decided to randomly show up. You better hurry and leave, wouldn't want Naminé to be late for her very first day of school, would you?"

Kairi lifted her head with a haughty look, clutching her daughter's hand tightly. "Xion, my love," she said. "Would you like to come to school with me and Naminé?"

Xion hesitated, looking back and forth between her aunt and her father. "I...I want to stay with Daddy and Roxas..."

"_We_ can take Naminé to school with _us_, if you want," Axel said sweetly.

Kairi marched out, her daughter trotting to keep up.

"See you at school, Naminé!" Xion called.

The yellow-haired girl managed half a wave before she was out of sight.

"Gah!" Axel went to go punch some pillows, though he had to cut his venting short since they were now running even more late than before.

o.o.o.o.o

It was so strange and scary here. There was so much _skin_ everywhere. And the girls, running around and yelling just like boys, and all the mommies and teachers walking around with their heads uncovered like Mommy did at home, and talking to the men like they were bigger, and the men just...soft. Nice, like Daddy. And none of them looking like they wanted to eat her, which was the only good thing.

"Well, hello there, Naminé sweetie! I'm so happy you're coming to our school!"

Naminé held tight to Mommy's hand and looked up at the lady. She had lots of colors.

"I'm Mrs. Klein. I'm gonna be your new teacher!"

"_Salaam_," Naminé whispered.

"Ohhhh, isn't she _precious_! How long did you all live in Agrabah?"

"About five years," Mommy said. "Naminé was actually born there - she only left the country a couple of times so we could see our family for holidays and such. I don't think she even remembers - ever since we moved back home, everything's been so new to her.

_'Home?'_ Naminé thought. _'Home is so far away, with the sand and the veils and the animals. This world is not Home.'_

"We were very careful about that," Mommy was saying. "Her English is just as good as her Agrabahti, but you might have to coax it out of her sometimes. She's very shy around strangers, especially males."

"Well, don't worry, Naminé, all our boys are very nice. I'm sure you'll have a wonderful time with us!"

Naminé watched a boy down the hall grab a flower-printed notebook out of a little girl's hands. The girl threw a box of crayons at his head and hit him in the eye so that he burst into tears. Naminé pressed closer against her mother.

They went down the hall. And into a classroom. There were so many other children, so loud.

THEN MOMMY LEFT HER.

"Mommy!"

She _left_. She went out the door and didn't come back. Naminé tried to go after her, but they didn't let her, and she cried a little, but Mommy was gone and...she...

o.o.o.o.o

It was a _stupid_ rule. He got to be with Roxas in kindergarten and nothing bad happened, so why weren't they allowed to be in the same class _every single year_ after that?

"We pwn," Ven said softly, reaching out to touch his fist against his brother's as they passed each other in the hall.

"We pwn," Roxas answered in a louder voice.

"Roxas! Get back in line!" his teacher ordered. Ven quickly averted his eyes, and Roxas sighed loudly as he obeyed.

At least they got to see each other during P.E. They snuck to the edges of their classes so they could sit together during the lecture, and stole unhappy glances at each other after they'd been assigned to spots much too far away from each other. Then they got to play.

As Ven was waiting for his turn out on the blacktop, he saw the preschoolers lined up beside the second grade building.

He recognized golden-haired Naminé, weeping on the ground. Her teacher was crouched next to her, saying something to her and trying to pull her to her feet. Her knees were all bloody. "Look, Coach," said Ven.

Coach Armando looked where he was pointing. "Now, what's going on over there?"

"That's my cousin, Naminé. She's hurt."

"Mrs. Klein!" the coach called, walking over there with Ven on her heels. "You need any help?"

"Oh- Actually, do you think you could get Coach Salinas to walk Naminé to the nurse's office?" She glanced at the rest of her class, who looked anxious and restless.

"Let me, Coach? Please?"

"He can take her," Coach said to Mrs. Klein in response, clapping a hand on Ven's shoulder.

Ven smiled and knelt down before the crying girl. "Hi, Naminé. You remember me? I'm Ven."

"I thought you were Roxas," Coach muttered, shaking her head.

Naminé stared at him wordlessly through her tears.

"Her mother says she doesn't like boys," Mrs. Klein said uneasily.

"Don't touch my hair," Naminé whispered.

"Huh? Oh, I won't. You wanna squish mine?" Ven offered, inclining his head invitingly.

There was a pause, then Naminé lunged forward and vengefully squashed his honey-brown spikes every which way.

"Naminé!" the teachers exclaimed.

"You leave me alone," Naminé commanded tearfully. "_My_ hair."

"Okay. I bet Roxas was dumb, huh. I won't let him bother you anymore." He held out a hand. "Help me up, Nami?"

She stared.

"Take my hand and puuuuuuull, hard hard hard!"

She giggled a little as he made an exaggerated show of her strength, then took his hand willingly when he held it out again.

"Let's go see the nurse, okay?"

Then she remembered that she was hurt and started crying again, but held tight to Ven's hand and kept close to him as he led her inside.

o.o.o.o.o

Xion had managed to catch glimpses of her little cousin throughout the day, but it was frustrating that she could never actually talk to her until her great-grandmother came to pick her up. "Grandma! Please let me go talk to Naminé, pleeeeaaase?"

"Oh! Why, if you like, darling."

"Yaaaay!" Xion bounded over to her, as Roxas made a beeline for his twin. "Naminé! Hey!" Xion called.

Naminé, staring at the ground as she held her bandaged knees, did not respond.

"Naminé! NamiNamiNamiNami!"

Naminé slowly looked up.

"It's me! It's me, Xion!"

"Mommy..."

"Oh. She's not here yet, but she will be. You wanna draw pictures, Naminé?"

Naminé eyed her, showing a spark of interest for the first time.

"Here!" Xion crouched beside her and pulled out a notebook. "This is my very special notebook, where I draw pictures and write stories. You can draw on this page, and I'll draw on this one, okay? We'll make a picture together. You draw my daddy, and I'll draw your mommy, okay? They'll hold hands and be friends so they won't fight all the time anymore."

"Mm..."

o.o.o.o.o

When Kairi reached the school, she found her daughter crouched beside her niece, coloring a two-page picture.

"Hi, Aunt Kairi!"

Naminé immediately jumped to her feet and ran to embrace her mother.

"Hello, sweetie! Did you have a good day at school? What happened to your knees?"

"..."

"She's okay," Xion assured her. "Ven took her to the nurse."

"What?"

After talking with Mrs. Klein, Kairi finally turned away to find two women standing close to her, chatting a little as Xion, Roxas, and Ven played a hand-slapping game around them. "Ah- You're, um, Aqua, right? And Mrs. Hayes?"

"Kairi!" Aqua greeted. "I've been wanting to see you again. How are things?"

"Everything's going well, thank you. And you?"

"Well, I was wanting to see if you'd reconsider about the play dates. I really think it would be a good thing for all of the children."

"Xion and Ven have such nice things to say about your little girl," Mrs. Hayes said warmly. "She really is a cutie-pie, isn't she!"

"Thank you. And I...well, I _do_ want her to spend more time with her cousin, but..."

The other two exchanged a look. "Come to lunch with us, Kairi?" Aqua offered.

Mrs. Hayes laughed. "Well, it's a bit late for lunch, but I could do with a bite to eat; couldn't you, Kairi dear?"

"There's a McDonald's down the street - we could let the children play while we chat."

"Hm..." Kairi agreed in the end, partly because when Roxas reached out to flick Naminé's hair, Ven held out an arm to stop him and said to leave her alone.

"But it's so fluffy."

"She get mad and cries."

"*SIGH* Girls are so complainey."

"We are not!" Xion said indignantly.

At McDonald's, Kairi sighed and shook her head after the children had gone swarming into the play area. "Look...I understand what you're saying, and I really mean no offense to your grandson, Mrs. Hayes. But I'm not obligated to trust him, and I don't _like_ that _my_ niece has to live with him, that the man in charge of her well-being is some weird-looking stranger. I can barely even talk to her, he keeps pushing me away and avoiding me, and he's not even her father! He's not related to her at _all_!"

"Kairi, dear," Mrs. Hayes said sympathetically, "I know that Axel looks a bit wild and doesn't...ugh, those _tattoos_...but he really is a good boy at heart. He's simply wonderful with the children, they adore him."

"But..."

"And, Kairi," Aqua said, trying to keep her temper and speak carefully, "not every family is as traditional as yours. The fact that Axel and Xion don't actually share DNA isn't important. After all, I didn't conceive Ventus or carry him in my womb or give birth to him, but _he is still my child_, just as much as Naminé is yours. All that matters is love." She gave a small, wry smile, thinking of the mess she and Terra were currently dealing with. "Well, love and paperwork."

Kairi was watching the children silently, looking thoughtful and unhappy.

Mrs. Hayes smiled. "And, oh, do those three love each other, they're like a regular trio. Then Ven came along and just fell right in step with them as if they've known each other all their lives."

"Hm." The conversation eventually moved on to other things, as Kairi finished her burger and started picking at dessert. Then she finally burst out, "Fine. I still _don't_ trust him. But I'll give him a chance."

"That's all we ask, dear."

o.o.o

Author's Notes: I was _trying_ to write a story to introduce Sora & Van into the series, so that I could then work on a story about Roxas & Van, but then I reached a point where I kept getting stuck. Finally I realized that it was because I'd tried to jump too far into the future, and needed to write Ienzo, Kairi, & Naminé's introduction first. XD Mr. Uncooperative will make his appearance as soon as he finishes whatever experiments were interesting him more than starring in yet another fanfic. :p

Gah, writing this story was like trying to drive a car that dies every five minutes. There were a couple of scenes that flowed well, but the rest of it was like, I'd try to drive, the car would die, I'd struggle to get it started again, we'd _finally_ be back on our way, then suddenly it dies on me again. FRUSTRATING. My notebook pages had many more scratched-out words/sentences/paragraphs and inserted edits than usual. *sweatdrop* But I did finally get it finished, yaaaaay.

I apologize that Naminé turned out drippy _again_, but that's how I identify with her most and how I naturally tend to write her. -.- Sorry... _Sometimes_ she'll turn out better in a few of my other fics, depending on the circumstances of the story, but THIS IS HOW I SEE HER in my mind's eye, and this is why she annoys me, even though I _know_ intellectually that she's stronger and more interesting than this. *headwall* I do have a subplot in this series that'll hopefully improve her characterization, but it doesn't happen 'til she's a teenager. :/


End file.
